Royal Rumble 1998
by frostyfreezyfreeze54
Summary: 30 men. One main event. Who will go to WrestleMania XIV? Plus, another Orton/Cena match for the WWE Championship. Read it!
1. Background

Royal Rumble 1998

The night after Armageddon, it was clear:Randy Orton was not only still the WWE Champion, but he was the most over heel on RAW, SmackDown!, and ECW combined. After The Undertaker's interference in the Ambulance Match that pitted The Legend Killer against John Cena for the title, Orton came out of the PPV 24 hours later as the man who always finds a way to win, no matter what lengths. And The Chain Gang Soldier came out as the uncrowned champion who was once again screwed after coming oh-so-close. RAW General Manager Jonathan Coachman, obviously disgusted at The Phenom's actions, announced that The Viper won't slither away unscathed. At the Royal Rumble, Orton will once again defend the WWE Championship against Cena, this time in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. Later that night, The Undertaker cut a promo from his locker room about why he did what he did one night ago. The Deadman said that the devil called, saying that he needed help, and that Undertaker was his best chance of getting that help. The Demon of Death Valley stated that he chokeslammed Edge, his longtime tag team partner, into 1,000 burning flames of fury. And that Cena was left literally in a pool of his own blood. Also, the WWE Universe will never see their hero ever again, at least that's what Undertaker stated. In the main event, Orton defended the WWE title against Shawn Michaels. If Michaels lost, he'd leave RAW. HBK was firmly in control, and was about to clinch his first-ever world championship with Sweet Chin Music. Then the gong struck and the lights went out. Obviously the work of The Phenom. When the lights returned, The Legend Killer had struck with the RKO on a confused Michaels and got the winning pinfall. Either that or Undertaker interfered again. Whatever. Loud chants of "HBK! HBK!" broke out in the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The Showstopper acknowledged the chants, and left the ring the only way he knew how:By delivering Sweet Chin Music right to Orton's jaw. After Michaels, who waved goodbye to the crowd, left, the familiar coronets and blaring of "My Time Is Now" filled the Providence air. It was John Cena! A dazed Viper didn't even notice The Chain Gang Soldier had arrived. That is, until he was on top of the Cenation's leader's shoulders, about to be decimated with a bone-crushing FU. BAM! "Cena" chants were then heard all over the place. Orton was then symbolically pinned by Cena, who said "ONE! TWO! THREE!" That was the ticket. Then The Legend Killer was locked in the unfortunate stepover toehold sleeper, better known as the STFU. Orton repeatedly tapped out, desperately screaming in agony. A fired-up Chain Gang Soldier enlightened the incited Providence crowd some more as the WWE Champion was motionless, being attended to by medical officials. If Cena could pin and force Randy Orton to submit in a premeditated assault, then Cena could finally be tasting gold once again come the Royal Rumble.


	2. The Match

The pay-per-view took place on January 18, 1998 at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California. RAW ring announcer Lillian Garcia announced the rules of the match. It begins with the two competitors. The Superstar who gains the first decision(pinfall, submission, countout, disqualification) will take a 1-0 lead. After the first fall, both men will be given a 30-second resting period before the second fall begins. If the Superstar who gained the first fall gains the second fall, they win the match and the WWE Championship. Otherwise, the third and deciding fall will commence. Once again, the 30-second resting period will come into play. The Superstar who gains the third fall wins. Basically, the objective is to score two falls over your opponent. The San Jose crowd was firmly in Cena's corner and were hot for the match. Orton got the early advantage by targeting Cena's knee, which was weakened during the two's match at Armageddon more than a month ago. However, The Chain Gang Soldier countered the champion's Figure-Four Leglock into an STFU. But Orton reached the ropes after about a minute and a half in the hold. The first fall kind of came out of nowhere, as Cena's bulldog attempt was countered into a powerslam. The Viper then hit the RKO for the first fall. It was Orton, 1-0. Cena knew that the next fall was a must-win, so he tried everything. It almost worked when Orton tried for the RKO again and instead recieved an FU on the outside. NOTE:This same spot occurred during the two's match at Armageddon. However, the ref counted to nine when The Legend Killer slithered back in. But The Chain Gang Soldier was determined. He locked Orton in the STFU, and made sure that there was no rope break. It was useless. The Viper tapped out mercifully. It was tied, 1-1. The third fall would decide it all. Both men put all their best moves and submissions on display. Bulldogs. Jumping high knees to the skull. Spinout powerbombs. Backbreakers. Five Knuckle Shuffles. Snap powerslams. Flying clotheslines. DDT's. But nothing worked. Orton hit the RKO at about the 23-minute mark, and went for the pin but Cena kicked out. The Legend Killer was frustrated. He had tried everything. Then that look crept upon Orton's face. That creepy, sadistic, frothing look. He was about to hit the Punt Kick! The WWE Universe booed heavily as Orton positioned himself. BAM! The Viper had struck! ONE! TWO! KICKOUT! The most lethal maneuver in the WWE Champion's arsenal, and even that couldn't put the Cenation leader away. After the match, it was reported on Ring Posts that Orton reinjured his knee, which was first suffered during Cena's return match at Survivor Series. It was just a high kick to the head. If it had been the running punt to the skull, Cena would've taken time off to sell a concussion. After nearly two minutes of no action, The Chain Gang Soldier got up first and grabbed The Legend Killer for an FU. BAM! The San Jose crowd was whipped into a frenzy. Cena was about to become the new WWE Champion! Referee Mike Chioda counted the pinfall. ONE! TWO! WHAT? Chioda had been taken out of the ring and slammed head-first into the RAW announce table by...The Undertaker! The Deadman strikes again! The camouflauge-garbed warrior charged at his Death Valley cancer, but was no match for him. Chokeslam! The Phenom did the cutthroat signal, and it can't happen. NO! Tombstone Piledriver! Undertaker, like all good heels, did a hit-and-run as he went over the barricade and exited through the sea of thousands in the WWE Universe. As The Chain Gang Soldier stood up, so did The Viper. RKO! New referee John Cone counted the pinfall. ONE! TWO! THREE! Randy Orton had once again retained the WWE Championship. And with the help of The Deadman once more. The Legend Killer then mocked his fallen adversary by doing the "You can't see me!" bit and even spinning the belt right in Cena's face. And to add even more insult to injury, Orton hocked one right in the Cenation leader's eye. This moment got lots of heat and it drove the pissed-off San Jose crowd to boo the WWE Champion even more. In fact, he was jeered out of the building. The Viper once again found a way to stay on top of RAW's pecking order. Cena came close, but no cigar for the third straight time. And The Undertaker interfered yet again when a Cena victory was surefire. The big question now is:Will 1998 go down in WWE lore as the year of the RKO?


	3. The Rumble

The 30-man Royal Rumble Match was the main event. ECW ring announcer Tony Chimel announced the rules of the match. Before he started, Chimel let the WWE Universe know that Superstars will now enter every 90 seconds instead of every 2 minutes, making the match more exciting and quickening the pace. Here we go. Two Superstars start off the match, drawing entries #1 and #2. These two fight for 90 seconds, then another Superstar enters the fray at #3. And then another at #4 after 90 seconds. This pattern will continue until all 30 Superstars have entered the match. If you enter out of turn, you are disqualified. Other than that one boundary, this is really an anything-goes match. You are eliminated when you are thrown over the top rope with both feet touching the floor. The last man standing will win the Rumble, and earn a WWE, World Heavyweight, or ECW Championship match at WrestleMania XIV in two months in Boston. The winner also gets to choose which championship they will challenge for. Sabu entered at #1 from ECW, while Edge entered at #2 from RAW. The three brands have split the Rumble entries evenly this year with 10 Superstars each. At one point, Edge countered a crossbody by Sabu into an inverted Spear in mid-air off the top rope. Flash Funk entered at #3 from SmackDown!, but only lasted about four minutes before Mark Jindrak, the #4 entrant from ECW, eliminated him after a hip toss over the top. Several Superstars had filled the ring in about 15 minutes, and just when a favorite couldn't be determined, Shawn Michaels, from SmackDown!, erased that question at #20. The Showstopper, obviously furious at Randy Orton for sending him off RAW, eliminated four Superstars after only 25 seconds in the ring, taking out Mr. Kennedy, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Rob Conway, and Big Show. But the one man who fought his way past several men who tried to eliminate him was Jindrak. He sent Edge, Tommy Dreamer, Rikishi, General Mayhem, and Chris Jericho packing along with Funk. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper entered at #29 and also made an immediate impact. Chris Benoit, Kane, Rob Van Dam, and Tajiri were all unsafe from the "Hot Rod". When the smoke cleared, the final four was comprised of Piper, Michaels, Jindrak, and the Cinderella story known as Kurt Angle, the #15 entrant from SmackDown! who only eliminated Rhyno, the #10 entrant from ECW. Piper warred with Michaels in one corner, while Jindrak met his match with Angle on the other. Jindrak reversed an Angle Slam into a fallaway slam. He climbed to the top, but Angle caught his Extreme foe and leveled him with a powerbomb. Angle, who won a gold medal for amateur wrestling in the 1996 Summer Olympics, then threw Jindrak over the top with one hand as the San Jose crowd chanted "Angle rules!" so loud that the next town could hear it. Meanwhile, HBK and the Hot Rod were also having a war. Michaels delivered a moonsault, but Piper telegraphed it and countered it into a spinning powerslam. The Showstopper then rallied back and nailed Piper with Sweet Chin Music. The Hot Rod was then thrown over the ropes. Angle and Michaels took turns testing each other, telegraphing every move the other did. The Wrestling Machine, as Michael Cole called him, was about to hit a moonsault, but Michaels moved out of the way and tried for his own moonsault, but Angle ducked and HBK crash-landed on his ribs. The Olympic gold medalist then knew that The Showstopper was ripe for the picking and cinched in the Ankle Lock, which Michaels desperately tried to escape. It was close to being fully strapped on, where Angle would go down on the canvas and cross both his legs together on the knee while still having the ankle trapped in his arms. Michaels knew that he'd have no chance with that. Then, The Showstopper gazed at the WrestleMania sign near the luxury boxes, which was always placed there beginning at the Rumble and ending at the Hall of Fame ceremony the night before 'Mania. Suddenly, HBK remembered who he was. He was Mr. WrestleMania. The Headliner. The Icon. The Main Event. Receiving a second wind and feeding off the WWE Universe, Michaels thrust his leg out of the Ankle Lock, which sent Angle flying toward the ropes. The Heartbreak Kid then whacked the 22-year old SmackDown! rookie with Sweet Chin Music, forcibly being backflipped over the top rope. It was over! Shawn Michaels had won the 1998 Royal Rumble! HBK is going to WrestleMania! But wait. Piper came back, and no one even knew that he was still legal. Think again. The Hot Rod clotheslined Michaels over the top for the elimination, and now it was over. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper had won the 1998 Royal Rumble! The Scottish sensation outlasted and outsmarted 29 other competitors and is now going to WrestleMania! "My god! Piper has shocked the world!," said a surprised Jim Ross as Piper celebrated in the ring. The Hot Rod then did the annual Rumble winner's salute, where he pointed to the WrestleMania sign as pyro exploded on the stage and the lighting area right on top of the arena. The WWE Champion Randy Orton then came out and hugged his protege as the fans booed every second of it. The show was off the air at this point. To see who Piper chooses for his WrestleMania opponent, as well as the continuation of the storyline between Orton, John Cena, and The Undertaker, read my next story, No Way Out 1998. I guarantee you will not be disappointed!


End file.
